Welcome to K-Pup, I'm Jonathan Kapart. I'm trying to figure out how President

Trump's foreign policy bits into America's traditional role in the world.

So I had to talk to Tony Blaken, the deputy... America's traditional role in the world.

So I had to talk to Tony Blanken, the deputy secretary of state for President

Obama.

And we talk about Russia, the European Alliance, and American values in diplomacy. But we started off by trying to make some sense of

rocka, turkey, and much for being on the podcast.

Good to be here, thank you.

So you got to help me out here.

Y'all worked for months to get a plan in place to arm the Kurdish

rebels and by y'all I mean the Obama administration, the national security team, and you

guys worked really hard to get this plan in place to arm the Kurdish rebels to take

Raka from the Islamic State.

Susan Rice then, then the National Security Advisor presented the plan to her successor Michael Flynn and citing

sources the Washington Post reported that Flynn said quote don't approve it will make the

decision why is that significant now? don't approve it, we'll make the decision.

Why is that significant now?

Well, two things.

First, take a quick step back.

The reason Raka is so important, liberating it,

along with Mosul and Iraq, is this is the heart of the self-declared

caliphate that the Islamic State is set up and if we're able to take back both of

...